Magic Song
by TwiLanes
Summary: A single song started it all - a song with a secret power - that crossed the bridge between worlds, aided by a single spark of magic. Now, Twilight Sparkle and her friends must protect a group of strangers while running for their lives...and an old enemy waits in the shadows to take revenge. (Note: The picture is ours, but we don't own MLP or Grojband!)
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

The Everfree Forest had always been a mysterious place. The air that curled around the trees was misty and cold; the vines and brambles as thick as a woven quilt; the eerie sounds that issued from the depths of the woods as unnatural and frightening as ever. This was where the forgotten chose to hide.

Under a shelf of rock sat a unicorn mare, her coat so dusty and sweaty its color was unrecognizable. She sat, exhausted, her energy almost nonexistent. Her eyes were closed in concentration, but no more than a few dull sparks flew from the tip of her horn. The mare leaned against the wall of her makeshift cave. She needed magic, and she needed it now.

The mare's sensitive horn jutted into the air, a pink glow flashing, then fading, around it. She sighed, a chilly breeze clawing at her thin coat. Without a place to get food or shelter, and without any energy to sustain her magic, she would never get the satisfaction she desired so much.

So the unicorn kept trying. And eventually, the tip of her horn brushed against something like an invisible bubble in the air a pocket of energy so massive that she could feel herself growing stronger with a single touch. Her muzzle curving into a relaxed smile, the mare probed the pocket again, letting strength wash through her, like a storm washes a blade of grass. She felt more powerful than she ever had. Then, as she touched the space a third time, she noticed something unnatural about it.

It didn't belong in Equestria.

The cloud of energy tingled, as if it were uncomfortable, unsure of itself in a new place. It felt foreign too, vibrating in patterns very different than those of typical Equestrian magic. The mare's smile faltered, then grew even wider as she thought of the possibilities this brought to her. Harnessing this otherworldly magic could make her more powerful than Celestia herself…or…

The mare rose to her feet and carefully set her horn to the edge of the pocket one more time. A crazy thought was suddenly running through her mind – a thought that made her tail stand on end. The bubble was beginning to fade back into its world, and she would miss her chance – perhaps her only chance – to do what she'd been waiting to do for many months. The magical energy would disappear no matter what happened, but if it reacted in the way she expected, it would all be worth it.

Drawing back her head, the unicorn steeled herself, took a deep breath, and jabbed her horn into the center of the energy cloud.

At first, nothing happened. Then the bubble popped, and a dark hole appeared in thin air, its edges twinkling vaguely pink in the dim forest light. Immediately, the mare could feel a slight vacuum effect emanating from the pocket, sucking in energy and blowing it back out. She felt warm air blow onto her face, then spiral away, disappearing into the evening sky. As she watched, the mare felt excitement spreading from the tip of her horn down to her very hooves.

_I think I have a plan,_ the unicorn thought. _And if it works, the real fun can begin. _

* * *

Hey, readers! This is Twi...

**And this is Lanes!**

This is our first fanfiction, and we really want it to go over well.

**Twi! That makes us sound desperate.**

Sorry, sorry! Anyway, thanks for reading, and we hope to be able to update every week at the least.

**Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy.**

Twi**Lanes**


	2. Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

Thirteen-year-old Corey Riffin strummed a chord on his electric guitar. The afternoon was quiet and steamy, a typical summer day in Peaceville, Ohio, and there was absolutely nothing going on. The blue-haired teen gazed around his garage, taking in the awesomeness of being bored for just a minute, and then sighed. Really loudly.

"There's nothing to do," he announced to his friends and bandmates, who were lounging around doing practically the same thing as Corey was. He flopped backwards and lay across the stage, letting his heavy guitar slide off of his shoulder and onto the floor. The _thud_ caused Corey's best friend Laney Penn to look in his direction.

"No kidding, Core," she agreed, her fingers sliding up and down the neck of her bass. "I'm so bored my brain is turning into mush. Are we here to practice or what?"

"Yeah, but it's too hot to do anything," complained Kon Kujira, the band's drummer. He was on the couch, mashing handfuls of chips into his mouth. "And my drums are still all sweaty from yesterday's practice."

Corey sighed again, letting his gaze creep back to Laney. She'd returned to her instrument and was plucking out a smooth bass line from one of his songs – Corey wasn't sure whether it was one the band had given lyrics yet or not. He watched her head bob in time to the music until her eyes shifted up to meet his.

It was kind of awkward…for multiple reasons. He felt a blush creeping up the back of his neck and was glad his lucky orange hat covered any of it Laney might have seen.

"What? Is there something in my hair?" Laney asked. She reached up and felt around her scalp for any unwanted objects. To diffuse the obvious tension, Corey laughed.

"Nope, you look all right, Lanes. Just listening to that wicked tune you were playing," he said. Laney cocked an eyebrow, like she wasn't sure she believed him, but returned to her playing. It seemed to meld perfectly with the summer air, like a background track in a movie.

Corey peeled himself off of the stage and walked over to see what Kin, Kon's twin brother, was doing, Kin had a gift for the scientific, and inventing crazy machines was no exception. Today he was twisting wires into a device shaped like an oversize wristwatch. The smaller boy flinched as Corey's shadow loomed over him. 'I'm almost done, I'm almost done," he panted. "Just a few more adjustments…"

Corey plucked the object out of his friend's hands and examined it. "What does this thing do?" he asked, poking at tiny buttons that adorned the space where a watch face would normally go. "Is it some kind of upgraded time machine?"

Kin turned around, reaching for the device. "It's not done yet!" he explained. "But it's a teleportation device. Give it back so I can complete the finishing touches!"

Corey held the tiny machine up to the light. "Wicked! How does it work?"

"I haven't tested it," Kin said, yanking it out of Corey's hands, "but it should take you wherever you want to go. When it's done." He looked pointedly at Corey, his eyes beady behind his thick glasses, then returned to whatever nerdy stuff he had to do to complete the machine.

Kon, his bag of potato chips empty, clapped his hands together. "Maybe we'll see our future selves again," he said cheerfully, peering over his brother's shoulder.

Kin smiled. "Yeah, that'd be great!"

As the brothers bantered, Corey returned to the stage and picked up his guitar. Slinging the strap over his head, he began jamming along to Laney's bass line, adding riffs and slides when they felt right. It sounded good.

Just then, a door slammed open above the garage. "WOULD YOU QUIET DOWN!?" an angry voice howled. "Mina can't hear herself think when I tell her to!"

"Sis, I think you've used that one already," Corey called, continuing to play along to the steady bass. He exchanged a wink with Laney, knowing what was coming next.

"What-ever,_ Garbage_band. Just keep it down while I am getting my beauty on, or you will be sorry!" the voice thundered. Stomping noises sounded on the floor, the door slammed shut, and the band was left alone.

"God, Trina's such a killjoy. We're having fun here!" Laney said. Corey smiled, closed his eyes, and let the music wash over him again.

"Done!" Kin said proudly, holding up his device. Corey's eyes sprung open and he rushed over to look at it again. The machine was smallish, silver, and seemed to be a watch until one looked at it more closely. It had dozens of buttons; none of them were the same color, and all of them meant something different. It was really cool.

"It's…PERFECT," Kon squealed. "Kin! Let's test it!"

"I was thinking the same thing, twin of mine," Kin said mischievously. "You guys up for a test run of the newest Kin-vention?"

Corey's eyes widened. "You don't have to tell me twice!" He rushed back to the stage, set down his precious guitar, and grabbed Laney by the hand. "Come on, Lanes, we've got some adventuring to do!"

The short, red-headed bassist set down her instrument and stood up, all thought of playing forgotten. "Hold up, Core. Don't you think it could be dangerous? This thing hasn't been tested, remember?"

"That's why we're testing it right now," Corey smiled. He pushed Laney toward the twin brothers and the tiny device in Kin's hand. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Core…" Laney tapped her foot.

There was only one thing to do at a time like this: Corey pulled out the Bambi eyes.

"Ugh! Fine, I'll come. But only because I can't stand seeing you make that face," Laney huffed.

Corey pumped his fist and followed her. "Yet another win for Corey Riffin," he muttered happily.

"Okay, everyone, here's what we do. I'm gonna wear the watch," Kin said, holding up his wrist, where the device gleamed. "You guys just have to hold on to me, and we'll all teleport together. Ready?"

Everyone grabbed hold and Kin started to count down, but someone knocked on the garage door. Corey rolled his eyes. "Just a sec, guys," he said. "Gotta get that." He reached down and lifted the door up with a good long shove. Standing before him was the impeccably dressed form of Peaceville's resident hunk, Nick Mallory.

"Nick? What are you doing here?" Corey spluttered.

"Nick is here to pick of Trina Riffin," Nick said, examining his fingernails. "He has a date with her in exactly two minutes."

"Oh. Uh…she's still upstairs," Corey said, jerking his thumb at Trina's door.

"Nick doesn't like to be kept waiting," Nick said.

"Okay…just a minute." Corey dashed up the stairs two at a time and knocked on Trina's door. "Trina? 'Hunky' Nick Mallory is here waiting for you!"

The door immediately flew open in the blue-haired teenager's face. "OMG! He is? Nick! Wait! I am totes right here!" Trina yelled, flouncing down into the garage. Her friend Mina followed her, carrying three purses and a dress bag, and Corey slammed the door closed behind them.

Trina ran up to Nick and gave him a mushy smile. "Thanks so much for, like, asking me out," she gushed. "I've been waiting for this day for my whole life!"

Nick smiled. "That's cool, Trina Riffin," he said calmly. "Nick's got places to be."

As Corey rejoined the other band members, he made a little wave in the departing groups' direction. "Smell ya later, sis," he said. "Have a good time on your date!"

Right away, Trina dashed back to breathe into Corey's face. "Is that a threat, little brother? Cause I could, like, totally ruin your day and junk. Even if you don't have a gig." She smiled sweetly – too sweetly. Dangerously sweetly.

"Nope!" Corey said, backing away into the rest of the band. "Just wishing you the best of fun! No hidden meanings in there at all!" But Trina kept staring at him.

"I don't believe you," she said, taking another step forward and poking Corey in the chest. "Because every time I try to have some fun, you and your stupid band manage to ruin it. Well, that's not going to happen anymore."

Mina turned around, eyes wide. "Trina, come on," she squeaked. "Nick is waiting."

"I am ready to get my turn once and for all," Trina said, her smile turning evil. "And I know just how to do it."

Mina turned to Nick, dropping the purses. "Nick, do something!" she wailed.

Then Kin pushed a button on the teleportation machine.

The button was pink, and immediately a bright pink nebula shone around the entire group. They were all connected – the band all holding onto Kin, Trina's arm smashed into Corey's stomach, Nick holding Trina's wrist and Mina latched onto the back of Nick's shirt. For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Kon blinked. Corey opened his mouth as if to say something.

Then the nebula dissolved, and everyone dissolved along with it.

* * *

Hey readers, Twi and Lanes here. We just wanted to clarify a couple things about the story.

**Mainly, the time periods of the two universes. Obviously, Grojband doesn't have much of a set timeline. I will say that 'Six Strings of Evil' has nothing to do with this story, so it could be either before or after.**

As for the MLP aspect, this takes place between Seasons Two and Three. As such, Twilight is not yet an alicorn. That's about it.

**Thanks for reading. We had over 50 readers in just this first week!**

And thanks, Running, for that review. We could use some more to see how we're doing!

**Chapter Two will be out in a week. See ya then!**


	3. Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

Twilight Sparkle sat in the Golden Oak library, flipping through a book and humming to herself. It was a typical summer day in Ponyville, warm and peaceful, with shafts of sunlight streaming indoors from every angle. The violet-colored unicorn nestled deeper into the cushion of the window seat, making herself comfortable. She still had fifty-seven pages to read, and she wanted to get her assignment done by tonight.

Scrolls and quills littered the floor of the library; Twilight had been too busy to clean them up while Spike – her dragon assistant – was out running errands for her friend Rarity. The essay she had to write was, quite frankly, calling her name. As she delved deeper into the mysteries of unicorn lore, Twilight couldn't help but feel as if all was right with the world. Nothing could faze her today.

Which just proved how wrong her instincts could be sometimes.

As Twilight turned another page, a sudden rush of cold air overwhelmed her. It disappeared as quickly as it had come, but even the lingering feeling chilled her to the bone. She looked toward the windows, checking for open latches or wide cracks that could let breezes in, but each one was shut tight. The door was closed, too. So what had caused the shiver-inducing wind?

The unicorn got up and shifted the front window's curtains just a tiny bit, peering out into Ponyville's main square. It looked the same as ever – small thatched-roof houses surrounding a fountain and bed of flowers, well-maintained to the point of perfection. Nothing seemed to have changed, and that left only one logical solution: magic.

Twilight's eyes crossed as she attempted to peer up at her horn and gauge the level of magic around her. Her horn always seemed more sensitive when someone performed any type of magic, large or small. The more her horn tingled, the larger the spell was. The tip of the horn was making her lean a little to the right, signaling that the sudden flare of magical energy had originated nearby or inside the EverfreeForest. Twilight shuddered. The forest was dark, mysterious, and creepy – no place for a pony in most cases, unless there was an emergency. She wondered whether a huge burst of magic was a cause for panic or not. _No,_ she thought, _but it's definitely an emergency in one way or another._

Throwing a few scrolls, quills, and ink into a pair of saddlebags, along with a flask of water and an envelope for samples, Twilight trotted down the stairs into the main part of the library. It was just as messy as the second floor, but the violet unicorn didn't blink an eye. She went to the bookstand and scribbled a hasty note to Spike on a scrap of parchment, informing him of her location and that she would be back shortly. Then she opened the door and left without a second glance.

The streets of Ponyville were broad and long, and Twilight could easily gallop along the road without being plowed down by wagons or other pedestrians. She passed the outdoor market, pausing only to wave a foreleg at her friend Applejack, who was in the midst of haggling with a customer at the Sweet Apple Acres stand. The cobblestones of the street were warm on her hooves, but Twilight barely noticed. The closer she got to the edge of the town, the more tingly her horn was growing. She was starting to get a little bit nervous.

The small stretch of countryside was quiet and heavy with the scent of wildflowers. As Twilight ran past the faded sign announcing _Welcome to Ponyville!,_ a hard knot formed in the pit of her stomach. The horn's magic sensor was pulling her down a familiar dirt road, one that led to a certain yellow Pegasus's cottage.

She picked up the pace, galloping harder than before in an attempt to get to Fluttershy's home and discover what had happened. She could imagine the poor soft-spoken pony cowering in the corner while something large and black loomed over her, magical energy pouring from its body in waves.

It was a crazy thought, and Twilight knew it. But her shy friend could be frightened by the smallest things, and the purple unicorn knew that she might be needed. The cottage was coming into view atop a small hill, and in two seconds Twilight had sprinted to the door, her horn's sensitivity off the charts. She was usually able to suppress magical auras when the need arose, but it had been a while, and this spell was obviously a doozy. She knocked gently, trying with all her might to keep from pounding on the door with both hooves.

It slid open a tiny bit, and Twilight stuck her eye up to the crack. No one seemed to be answering, but by now the violet unicorn was used to looking down and spotting one of Fluttershy's animal friends when she was let inside. Today, Angel the bunny was at the door. He looked suspicious at first, but spread the door wider at the sight of Twilight. "Thanks, Angel," she said to him, a small smile twisting at the corners of her muzzle. "Would you mind telling me where Fluttershy is?"

Angel pointed a paw at the door to the backyard. Nothing seemed wrong inside the house, and Twilight was becoming increasingly confused. _What magical energy, powerful enough to reach me in the library, would have come from Fluttershy's backyard?_ she thought. It seemed so illogical. Fluttershy wasn't even a unicorn, for Celestia's sake.

Twilight pulled the back door open and stepped hesitantly out into the yard. The chicken coop stood in the corner, and a gate led farther out into the EverfreeForest. A pale yellow Pegasus with a flowing pink mane and tail was hunched over something – no, multiple somethings – that were lying in a heap on the grass. Twilight cleared her throat, and the Pegasus whirled around in surprise.

"Oh! Twilight, you startled me," she said softly. Her face broke into a relieved smile as the violet unicorn trotted over to give her a hug. "I wasn't expecting to see you today. Did Angel let you in?"

"Yes, he did. I'm sorry I startled you." Twilight set down her saddlebags and peered over Fluttershy's shoulder at the multicolored heap of fur. "What in Equestria is that? Are the animals sick?"

"Oh, no," Fluttershy said, a slight blush creeping across her face. "No, the animals are fine. These are, um…"

As the pegasus spoke, one of the colored blobs stirred and moaned. Twilight rushed over to it and, grabbing a clump of fur in her teeth, yanked. The orange blob fell away from the rest of the pile and gained shape and definition. Fluttershy gasped; Twilight realized exactly what had made her horn so tingly.

An unrecognizable unicorn pony lay on Fluttershy's lawn, flanks heaving as he tried to breathe.

Twilight bent down to look at the unicorn, lifting the water flask out of her bag as she did so. "These ponies need help, Fluttershy," she said. "Run into town and get Applejack and Rarity for me, okay?"

Fluttershy nodded and dashed back into her house. Twilight could hear the door slam as her friend galloped up the dirt road back to Ponyville. Turning back to the pile of unconscious ponies, Twilight reached her muzzle in and started to pull them apart.

Soon, Twilight had managed to separate the tangled ponies and lay them out on the grass. Though starting to wake up, they were still very dazed and unsure of their surroundings, common symptoms for newbie teleporters. Twilight had been nauseous for a week after her first practice with the difficult spell.

The orange one was stirring again, so Twilight levitated the water flask to his lips and popped out the cork. "Here," she said, shoving it into his face. "Drink this."

The unicorn sputtered, water running down his chin. "What was that for," he moaned. "I'm fine…"

"Well, you don't look fine." The violet pony lifted one eyelid and examined the orange one's blue irises. "I mean, you look normal, but something's wrong with you. I can't put my hoof on it, but –"

"Huh? Hoof?"

The unicorn struggled to get up, but Twilight pushed him down.

"You need to rest. I think you've just been through the biggest teleportation in your life." She placed her horn onto his, trying to gauge the level of magic he'd used, but there was no magical residue on him; he hadn't caused the energy flash. In fact, it seemed like he'd never done any magic in his life. The orange unicorn fell back to the ground, unconscious, as Twilight took a deep breath and lifted her gaze to the rest of the pile. _Were there any other unicorns in there? _

_And if they hadn't performed the teleportation spell on their own, who had done it for them?_

* * *

**Hey, guys, Twi and Lanes here!**

Thanks so much for your views, especially those of you who reread the story multiple times! We can tell that some of you are doing that.

**We love having the chance to write this story as much as you love reading it. Hopefully, you like the story, otherwise that comparison doesn't work.**

This chapter was a little short, but don't worry - there shouldn't be too many of these in the rest of the story.

**Chapter Three will be up next Sunday, so check us out again then.**

Don't forget to read and review, and we'll see you in a week!


	4. Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

Corey woke up with a pounding headache and a strange non-feeling in his limbs. He tried to sit up, but his body wouldn't comply. "Ugh," he muttered, trying to remember what had just happened. Kon…no, Kin? Kin had pressed the button on the teleportation thing, and everyone had disappeared into thin air. The teenager opened his eyes and found himself staring straight into a pair of purple eyes.

The eyes belonged to an odd-looking violet creature that seemed to be examining him. It was vaguely cartoonish, with a horn sticking out of its forehead. A feather pen and a scroll of paper floated in the air next to it, scribbling notes all on their own. Corey looked at the creature again and blinked. Hard. "Am I seeing things?" he asked? "Or are you really there?"

The creature snapped to attention, realizing that Corey had said something. "Oh!" it gasped in an obviously feminine voice. "Yeah, I'm really here. Are you?"

Corey had to think of a moment. He looked down at the thin, soft grass that lay beneath him. He could feel it tickling the skin beneath his fur.

Wait…fur?

Corey tried to propel himself forward, but his body and arms still wouldn't work. He tried to look down, but he was having a hard time maneuvering his neck. "Am I tied down or something? 'Cause I can't move," he said awkwardly. This weird creature staring at him was making him uncomfortable, just like the look he and Laney shared earlier had. Suddenly, the world came crashing down on him. Lanes! The band! Where were they? He struggled to move again, but only managed to twitch a leg. "Where are the others? My friends - have you seen them?"

The creature's quill stopped writing and she turned to Corey again. "The ones who were with you? They're over there," she said, gesturing vaguely with her head. "They're all asleep, though. I'd let them rest. First teleport spell can do that to a pony." She focused on the parchment again, leaving Corey on his own to figure out how to move.

He twisted his left leg until it stretched out from under him. He was laying on his stomach, which was usually uncomfortable, but didn't feel as weird right now. He closed his eyes, strained, and managed to push up with his elbows. Or what had once been elbows.

When he glanced downward, Corey couldn't see the human body he was so very used to. It took him a moment to process that what he was looking at was even _his_. Four gangly legs, rather than the usual two, covered in a pale orange coat of fur. A long, bushy blue tail. A small circular mark on his thigh that looked sort of like the skull on his beanie. Corey blinked again, almost not believing his eyes. Something had happened, all right.

The violet creature – a unicorn pony, he realized – had sat down on the ground near a good-sized cottage. She wasn't focused on Corey, so he tried taking a step. He'd expected it to be like walking on hands and knees at home, but it was totally different. He took another step, and another. _I'm starting to get the hang of this,_ he thought.

To the side of where he had been laying, there were three other ponies. Two, he suspected, were Kin and Kon – they were both grey and had spiky black hair. The other was emerald green and had a soft-looking red mane with a horn of her own poking up through it. If Corey looked closely at it, he could totally see the resemblance to Laney.

The little green unicorn stirred, a breath of air pushing her bangs away from her eyes. Corey leaned in closely, his face over hers, an excited smile spreading across his face. He was tempted to give her a noogie, but after inspecting his new hooves, Corey decided that that might hurt a little too much. Instead, he nudged her side with his foreleg. "Lanes, get up," he said, snickering. "Wait'll you see what happened."

Her eyes fluttering open, Laney peered up at Corey's happy face. She tried to reach up and rub her eyes, but her brand-new hooves wouldn't move. "Wha – what's going on?" she mumbled dazedly. "Did Kin's teleportation gizmo work?"

Corey beamed wider. "It did indeed, Lanes! Take a look around."

The unicorn managed to focus on Corey's head, and immediately her eyes widened in fear. "Whoa! Get back!" she yelled, suddenly alert, all four of her hooves pedaling in the air.

Corey laughed like crazy as Laney tried to scoot away from him on her back. She was failing pretty badly, and her wide movements alerted the violet pony who still sat against the house. She got to her hooves with no trouble at all and rushed to the screaming Laney. "Hey, hey!" she said, soothingly. "It's all right. There's no need to be afraid."

Laney grew quieter as the other pony tried to calm her down. Having another girl nearby seemed to be helping her nerves, but her eyes were still wild and confused. "What happened? Where am I? Where are my friends?" she spluttered.

Corey's face was hurting from all the smiling. "The whole band is here, Lanes," he said. "Look at us! Don't we look awesome?"

Laney looked confused. "Core? Is that you?" She tried to sit up again, but only managed to faceplant into the grass. "What happened to your face?"

"The same thing that happened to yours, fella," Corey said. "We're ponies! And extremely good-looking ones, I might add." He swished his short blue tail, letting it catch the light. "I've already got the hang of it. It doesn't take long."

Laney yelped, glancing down at her pony body. Corey suddenly realized that they weren't wearing any clothes. He panicked for a moment, reaching a hoof up to the top of his head, but his trademark orange beanie was still there, with a hole in its forehead for his horn to poke out. _I have a horn! This is the coolest thing ever!_

Laney managed to sit up. Corey sat next to her, even more pleased than before. "I hope you're all right," the violet unicorn said sympathetically. "It's hard to teleport for the first time." She smiled and trotted back over to her scroll.

Corey nodded. "It's cool, dude. Shouldn't we wake up Kin and Kon?"

It took a while to get the twins out of their stupor, much more than it did to help Laney stand up. Kin and Kon were both heavy sleepers, and were extremely drowsy when awoken. "Must…have…cheese…" Kon groaned, trying to sit up, while Kin wheezed his guts out onto the grass. As sick as they sounded, though, it didn't take long for the brothers to recover.

"So they device worked! Awesome!" Kin said, shaking his head and sitting up. He checked himself out, noting the small set of musical notes that adorned his flanks. "I wonder why it took us here, though…we were just supposed to travel outside of the garage for the test run."

On the other side of Kin, Kon rolled over onto his stomach. "Maybe our future selves had something to do with it?" he mused, bouncing himself up with his chubby stomach. He was getting used to the pony body much more quickly than the others had, but then Kon had his quirks. "Whoa. I feel, like, really strong."

Kin wobbled as he stood up to give his brother a high-hoof. "No kidding! I could run a marathon." He trotted in place, spiky mane flopping all over. "So, any ideas about what happened or where we are?"

Corey racked his brain for a second, but nothing came to him. _Who am I kidding? I never pick up on small details,_ he thought. "We should ask her," he said importantly, flinging a foreleg toward the purple unicorn, who was sitting and writing once again. She looked busy, but hey, the band needed information, and they needed it now.

Corey and the twins walked over to the unicorn, who looked up as they approached. "Good! You're all awake," she said. "I have some questions for you."

"Um, we've got some for you too," Corey said.

"Like, a lot," Kin added.

The unicorn looked dubious, but she stood. "What do you want to know?"

Corey thought. "Okay, first things first. Where are we?"

"We're just outside of Ponyville. Have you been here before?" the purple pony asked. When the boys shook their heads no, she smiled. "Not many have. It's a nice place though, worth a few visits. Anything else?"

"How far from Peaceville are we?" Kon asked, jumping up and down.

The unicorn tilted her head to the left. "Huh? Peaceville? I've never heard of it. Is it in Equestria?"

"Well…no," Corey said. "Probably not even close. So who are you, exactly?"

"My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm Princess Celestia's student. Who are all of you? And how did you appear in my friend Fluttershy's backyard?"

Corey was getting more confused by the minute. The pony – Twilight – was looking at him expectantly, so he took a deep breath

"This is Kin, Kon, and over there is Laney. My name is Corey Riffin, and I'm the leader of Grojband." He stuck his chest out with pride, but deflated when he saw the quizzical look on Twilight's face.

"Grojband? Is that even a word?"

Corey paused. "Uh, well, we made it up."

"You should try to be a little more grammatically accurate," Twilight said, scribbling something on her airborne scroll.

Kin grinned. "She may be dissing our band's name, but I like this pony already!"

Laney appeared next to Corey. She was smaller than Corey expected; while he stood eye to eye with Twilight, the green unicorn was at least half a head shorter. "What's this I hear about dissing the band?"

"Oh, it's no big, Lanes. Twilight here is just getting us up to speed on the lay of the land," Corey said. He turned back to Twilight. "You said you had some other questions?"

"Yes!" the purple unicorn said. She consulted her scroll for a moment, than looked up at Corey. "Obviously, you teleported here, but –"

"That was my handiwork," said Kin, holding his hoof out to the sunlight. "My machine must have malfunctioned though, because we were only trying to go to the front yard."

Twilight frowned. "Machine? What are you talking about? That was a magical teleportation. The energy needed to transport four ponies…the energy I felt just now…how could that not be magical energy? Am I out of practice? Oh, what will Princess Celestia say?" She started pacing back and forth. "I'm sorry, I need a minute."

As Twilight muttered to herself, Laney glanced at Kin. "It was your machine that brought us here, right?"

Kin nodded, holding his hoof out again. "And I made sure to set it to take us to Corey's front yard, so I'm not sure why we ended up here."

Corey stared at the hoof. "What are we looking at, exactly?" Kin's hoof was a little dirty, but there was nothing especially interesting to look at on it.

Kon slapped Kin's outstretched foreleg with his own. "High-hoof!"

Laney sighed, a spark of anger in her eyes. "I suppose I have to say it, don't I? Kin, you're overlooking something. The device is gone."

* * *

Welcome back to the interesting adventures in Magic Song!

**Lanes and I have an interesting announcement: We are now on DeviantART, also as TwiLanes! You can visit us there for Magic Song, our future fanfictions, and maybe some art in the future! (Nothing really professional though...we're not THAT good.) **

As I'm sure you've already guessed, Chapter Four will be up next Sunday! We'll also be posting some Halloween/Nightmare Night oneshots on the 31st.

**They won't be Grimdarks or horror stories...that might disappoint some of you, but it's not a genre we're too fond of.**

Don't forget to review...we really want to hear your thoughts about this story.

**We hope to see you on Sunday for business as usual! Arrivederci!**


	5. Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

Twilight's mind was racing. The small grey pony – Kin, if she remembered correctly – had told her that the four unusual ponies had traveled to Ponyville with a machine,. For one thing, there hadn't been a machine, at least not one Fluttershy had mentioned. Secondly, there were no machines that advanced in Equestria at all. With all the magic in the air, who needed that much technology?

Anyway, even without all that, that didn't explain the amazing explosion of magic that had occurred. No machine of any kind could replicate a magical aura that size? Twilight was stumped, and she knew it. But there would be time to unravel that mystery later; for now, she had to worry about other things.

The back door of the cottage swung open, and Applejack burst outside, her flanks heaving. "Ah ran all th' way here, Twi," she gasped. "Fluttershy said somethin' about weird ponies appearin' in her yard."

"Fluttershy didn't lie to you." Twilight pointed with her horn at the group of ponies that stood off in a corner, quietly talking amongst themselves. Well, not that quietly; occasionally, the small green unicorn – Laney – would raise her voice, and the other unicorn would have to shush her. "They were accompanied by a crazy burst of magic, but say they were teleported by a machine. Which they don't have. It seems a little suspicious, don't you think?"

Applejack wrinkled her nose. "Ah'll say. Fluttershy and Rarity should be here any minute."

"Thanks so much for coming, AJ," Twilight said, a strained smile crossing her muzzle. "They seem really confused, and I thought you would be able to help me out."

"Aw, shucks, Twi," Applejack said. "It ain't a problem." She adjusted her hat and crossed the yard, a determined look on her face.

Twilight dashed through Fluttershy's house, her notes flapping around behind her. She peered anxiously out the front door. _If Fluttershy and Rarity were right behind Applejack, they should be here right about…_

A cart filled to the brim with gems appeared over the crest of the hill. It was attached to Rarity, who was trotting along next to Fluttershy. Spike reclined atop the jewels, occasionally dropping a sapphire or a ruby down his throat. The butter-yellow Pegasus was talking animatedly and waving her hooves about, which was unusual for her. Twilight let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. _It's time to get to the bottom of things._

The violet unicorn ran out to meet the two ponies as they came to a top outside of the cottage and Rarity unhitched herself from the wagon. "Thanks for coming, Rarity," she said gratefully. "We may have a crisis on our hooves."

She quickly explained about the odd ponies that called themselves Grojband, and the magic surge that had accompanied their arrival. Rarity's face twisted as she listened. "Yes, I do believe I felt a little twinge in my horn not too long ago…but then, I'm not the one with a talent for magic. Where are the poor dears? Are they all right?"

Twilight led them through the house and into the backyard, where Applejack was having a heated discussion with Laney and Corey. "Oh yeah? Well, if you're from another world, than Ah'm a timber wolf's best friend. Twilight!" the orange Earth pony huffed. "Tell these here folks about those magic laws you were studyin' last week!"

"Oh – you mean Star Swirl the Bearded's mirror laws?"

"Yep. Them thingies. Now!"

Twilight closed her eyes for a moment, visualizing the book that still sat atop her desk in the Golden Oaks Library. "The mirror laws explain why alternate worlds can't be visited or traveled to unless both parties know about them. Interdimensional travel is like teleportation, but bigger and more complex. It can't be successful unless the right amount of magic is tapped into on both sides, and since we don't know whether magic exists in other worlds, nopony can go to them. Or come here. Does that make sense?"

"No," Applejack snarled. "Because these ponies right here are tellin' me that they're from one of them alternate worlds."

Twilight opened her eyes, startled. "Are you serious?" she said, focusing on the new set of ponies. "Are you seriously trying to tell me that you're from…someplace else?"

The orange one who called himself Corey nodded. "And we aren't ponies there, either. We're human. They're…well, they're nothing like this nearly at all."

Twilight wanted to drop everything and start conducting scientific research to see if they were right, but she took a deep breath and let it out. Once upon a time, she'd have scoffed at the very idea of interdimensional travel, but not too long ago she'd had to learn the hard way that there were some mysteries she'd never figure out. And there would be time to ask more questions later. "That would prove some of the most ancient magic scrolls wrong…but it explains your odd names, and why you've never used magic before. Applejack, you should have come to me before you started yelling at them, though being cautious was a good idea."

Applejack snorted and sheepishly dug her hoof into the dirt. "Yeah, Ah know. But you know how Ah feel about lyin', Twi…and it sure as hay seemed like they were."

Rarity had been silent for some time, peering at the twin Earth pony brothers, who looked like they had been rolling around in the dirt. "Darlings!" she exclaimed. "Your coats look absolutely dreadful! You need a good bath right away."

"Rarity, they're still getting their bearings. Wait." Twilight took a step in Grojband's direction. She was starting to get used to the weird word. "In case you haven't noticed, these are Applejack and Rarity. Over there is Fluttershy –" she gestured at the pink-maned Pegasus, who was barely visible behind a bush – "and Spike." The dragon had followed the ponies inside, a stack of gems in his arms. His mouth had fallen open during the conversation (probably somewhere around the laws of magic being broken) and tiny shards of crystal were falling out of his mouth. Twilight slipped behind him and shut his mouth, giggling a little. "Sorry, he's a bit rude sometimes."

"It's no problem," Corey said, shifting his weight from his right side to his left. "Nice to meet you. I'm Corey and this is Laney, Kin, and Kon. Back home, we're known as Grojband."

Rarity tilted her head to one side. "Groj…what? What an interesting name." She batted her eyes and smiled. If Twilight didn't know better, she'd think somepony had a crush. Sizing Corey up, she realized that he was a rather good-looking stallion, if she ever had time for that sort of thing.

"What's th' matter, Rarity? Got somethin' in yer eye?" Applejack snickered.

The larger grey pony – Kon – laughed too. "You look kind of funny when you do that."

Rarity gave a little sniff. "I beg your pardon? I am merely trying to show interest in these newcomers, and that is that."

"Showing interest all right," Spike muttered darkly, his tail lashing. Twilight managed to wrap the little dragon in a bone-crunching hug as Rarity trotted off to see how Fluttershy was doing behind her bush.

The violet unicorn cleared her throat. "Um, why don't we take you all to town? We should show you around before it gets dark, and find a place for you to stay."

"I, for one, am very interested in taking a look around," Kin announced. "It just so happens that we may be stuck here until we can get our hands on that machine…which may not be here in the first place…and if it is, it may be damaged…um, let's just say that we're gonna hang around for a while."

Rarity poked her head out of the bushes. "Sounds good to me!"

Corey shrugged. "We're ponies now, guys. Let's take a break from freak-outs and scope out the scene!" He trotted forward eagerly. "Lead the way, Twi – it's okay if I call you Twi, right?"

"Of course, if it makes you feel at home." Twilight picked up her notes and quills and dumped them unceremoniously into her saddlebag. "Come on, girls! Come on, Spike. We have some new friends to introduce to Ponyville!"

* * *

The unicorn mare paced back and forth inside her small cave shelter. It had been almost half an hour since she had broken the magical bubble, and there was still no sign of anything unusual. She knew something big had happened, and that it could be bad, but honestly? Anything that would ruin Twilight Sparkle in some way sounded good to her.

The odd magical aura that had strengthened the mare earlier had made her magic stronger as well. When she had tried creating a spark to light a fire, it had erupted into a roaring column of flame and burned her eyebrows off before she had been able to suppress it. She felt rejuvenated, more important than she had ever felt before, and soon all of Equestria was going to know it. The mare had bigger plans now, plans involving more than just humiliating her worst enemy.

A crackling in the bushes nearby startled the unicorn, and she jumped back, her hind hoof grazing the embers of the fire. "Who goes there?" she rasped, voice rusty from weeks of disuse. "This unicorn has powerful magic, and she's not afraid to use it!"

"Like, that totally doesn't sound like a threat, but whatevs," came the reply. "I am totes stuck in this bush and Mina can't even help me!"

"I'm underneath you, Trina," a second voice croaked. "If I wasn't, I would for sure try to help you."

"No one cares about your dumb opinion, Mina!"

The mare stepped softly toward the bush, lifting a few leaves out of the way for a glimpse of the faces of the ponies trapped in the bush. A pink muzzle and a pair of magenta eyes glowered out at her. "Get me out of here!" the muzzle growled, twisting to pull the body attached to it free. The unicorn tugged, but the pony wouldn't budge, so she used her magic. In a twinkling, the bush disappeared, and a pair of mares lay panting on the ground, one on top of the other.

The one on top was the pink one. Her mane was streaked with purple, and tied into a tail at the back of her head; a horn poked out of the feathery bangs that framed her face. The other pony was an Earth pony, with an orange coat and teal mane. Her glasses were broken, and she spit leaves out of her mouth, shaking her head back and forth. "Um, thanks?"

The pink pony blinked, confused. "Um, hashtag: Whaaa? Who the heck are you? Where's my brother and his lame-o band? And where is Nick Mallory? He was just here…MINA! Details! NOW!"

"There's no need," the unicorn mare said, grinning evilly. So there were more? This pair of newcomers could be to her advantage. Any information about what had happened would be useful indeed.

The pony narrowed her eyes. "Oh yeah? And why should I believe you?"

The mare's grin grew even wider. "I am the Great and Powerful Trixie. And Trixie thinks you and she might have a common goal." She leaned in, reaching out a hoof to help the pink unicorn stand up. "Welcome to Equestria, otherworlder."

* * *

To steal Trina's word...whaaaa? I wonder if any of you saw that coming? Tell us in the reviews!

**As a matter of fact, review just to tell us how we're doing. We want to know what you like about this story and what could be better!**

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And we'll definitely see you next week.

**Adios!**


	6. Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

Corey trotted into the library. His hooves were aching like heck, but he was hyped from visiting all the interesting locations in Ponyville. He'd enjoyed the coffeeshop, the Hothoof, the most; the owner, Vinyl Scratch, had some sweet music going on in there. If not for Fluttershy's obvious discomfort, he totally would have stayed longer.

Fluttershy had obviously been uneasy about being alone with him, considering that he was basically an alien to this world. She had been very hard to talk to, but when Corey had mentioned his pet snake, the yellow Pegasus had begun asking all sorts of questions about the animals in Peaceville. Their conversation had gone all sorts of directions after that, and Corey could safely say that he liked her. Not in the way he liked…some other people…but he liked her.

"Um, this is the Golden Oak Library. Twilight works here, and she lives in the loft above it," Fluttershy said. The library was large and open, with books scattered all across the floor and the shelves. A table stood in the middle of the floor, littered with scrolls and quills and pots of ink. Kin and Twilight, their backs to the door, were poring over some dusty old textbooks that Corey was sure were extremely boring.

"Twilight?" Fluttershy whispered. "We f-finished our tour…"

Twilight didn't seem to hear, flicking a page lightning fast, while Kin awkwardly shifted his book in his hooves.

Just then, the front door banged open, and a large, light grey shape bounded into the room. "Hey, guys!" Kon bellowed, smiling as widely as is possible for a pony to smile. "I just visited the best place in the world!"

Applejack followed him in, gently closing the door behind her. "He almost ate the Cakes out o' stock," she explained, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. "Had ta' drag him outta the store by his tail."

Twilight looked up, watching the Earth pony bounce along the walls, babbling about cheese cupcakes. "Well, as long as he didn't meet Pinkie Pie…those two together would be an unstoppable force of nature."

Corey followed Kon around the library, reading some of the titles on the shelves. _Equestrian History_ sounded interesting, but a book about ponies' music styles would have been more informative. As long as he was here, why not learn?

Pulling out a thin tome called _Tunes and Times: Canterlot Edition_, the orange unicorn turned to his black-maned friend. "Kon, would you calm down?" he said, using his hoof to flip the book open. "I think some people – I mean, ponies – are trying to study here."

Kin mumbled an agreement, but didn't even look up from his book.

A few brisk knocks echoed on the library door, and then Rarity stepped in. "Everyone! Just wait until you see my latest creation!" she exclaimed, gesturing out of the door. "Come on in, darling. No one's judging you."

There was a pause, and then Laney entered the library. She was dressed in a frilly red ensemble that matched the color of her mane exactly, with black and green accents that reminded Corey of the clothes she wore back in Peaceville. "It's not often I get a living model to design on, what with how busy we've been lately," the white unicorn continued, "so I jumped at the chance to use Elaine. She has a lovely figure."

Laney's eyes were narrowed in anger at the use of her full name, and she was blushing as brightly as she ever had, but Corey wasn't looking at her face. His eyes strayed to the way the dress tied, exposing the jagged blue sound-wave marks on her flanks. "You look good, Lanes," he said casually, though inside he was blushing as hard as the green pony.

"I'm thinking of making a whole fashion line based on this one dress. What do you think, girls? Should I do it?" Rarity waited expectantly for her friends to answer.

Applejack rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. "Well, Ah ain't the pony to ask about fashion, but Ah think it's a mighty fine dress, Rare," she said.

"It's very nice," said Fluttershy softly.

Kin chose this opportune moment to come out of his reading mode and looked straight at Corey. "Corey, some of these magic techniques are awesome! I almost wish I was a unicorn. You should get Twilight to teach you!"

Twilight blushed. "I'm still a student myself, but if Corey and Laney want to learn some basic spells, that'd be okay with me."

Corey was about to accept when a rainbow blur whizzed in through the library's skylight. It landed on the floor nest to Twilight and Fluttershy and solidified into a sky-blue Pegasus with a multicolored mane. "Hey, Twilight, guess what I just – whoa. What did I miss?" she said, looking around at them all.

"Rainbow, this is Grojband…Corey, Laney, Kin, and Kon. They're from Peaceville, in an alternate world! Grojband, this is Rainbow Dash. She's –"

"The fastest flyer in all of Equestria!" The Pegasus flapped her wings and hovered off the ground. "Twi, how did they get here? I thought nopony was able to, because of those rule things."

"That's what Ah said." Applejack sat on the floor, tracing circles in the wood grains with the tip of her hoof. "But Ah guess there's more to it than that."

"These ponies proved Star Swirl the Bearded wrong," Twilight said. "I got a chance to examine Kin earlier, and their DNA isn't Equestrian. There's a good chance that they're living proof disclaiming some of the most ancient laws in the book…wait a minute. What is wrong with me? Why haven't I written Princess Celestia about this? Spike! Spiiiike!"

The little dragon didn't answer.

Corey looked around, realizing for the first time that the scaly assistant hadn't been in the room when Corey and Fluttershy entered the library. "I think he left. Is that normal?"

Laney, who'd been shrugging off the dress since Rarity's attention turned elsewhere, stopped mid-twist and peered behind her. "He didn't go out the door…I would have noticed."

The white unicorn gasped. "Oh, Spikey-Wikey! What ever could have happened, Twilight?"

"Spikey-Wikey?" Kin whispered.

"This is bad. This is very bad." Twilight took a deep breath, then let it out. "Without Spike, I can't send any letters to Princess Celestia. I'll fail my assignments AND the princess won't learn about Grojband! This is getting more complicated than I thought. Guys, help me! Where would Spike go if he left the library?"

Fluttershy perked up. "He goes to Rarity's shop a lot, but no one's there, so…"

"I locked the shop behind me, and he certainly wasn't there when I left," Rarity said, eyes wide with emotion.

"He wouldn't be at Sweet Apple Acres, that's fer sure," Applejack nodded. "Ah can't think of anyplace that little dragon would go. Or a reason why he'd leave ya. How long has it been since ya last saw him, Twi?"

Twilight thought a moment, "He accompanied Kin and me around Ponyville, but I think he was with us the whole time. I lost track of him at Sugar Cube Corner."

Rainbow Dash spoke up. Corey jumped a little bit; he'd almost forgotten that the Pegasus was there. "We'll start there, then," she said. "Meet you guys at Sugar Cube Corner." Without a warning, she zipped back out the window and was gone.

Corey remembered Sugar Cube Corner. It was a tall, sweet-smelling building shaped vaguely like a cupcake. The owner, Mrs. Cake, had practically forced a large number of free pastries in Corey's face when she learned that he was new in town. The one thing that was surprising him the most in Ponyville was how _nice_ everyone was to everyone else. It was like Trina didn't exist anymore. Corey could get used to that.

Twilight slammed her book shut and stood up shakily. "Spike's like a little brother," she stammered. "I-I take care of him like Shining Armor took care of me. What will I do if he's gone?"

"Hey, sugarcube," Applejack said kindly. "Ah'm sure he just got left behind at the bakery, and he's eatin' a plateful of sapphire cupcakes right about now. Don't worry too much. It'll all be okay."

Laney kicked her dress into a corner of the library, hiding it behind a pile of books. "Kin? Are you coming?"

"I'm gonna stay here and see if I can read up on teleportation and stuff. If we're going to get back home, we might as well start somewhere," the dark grey Earth pony said, turning back to his pile of books. "Good luck, though."

Corey and Laney followed the others out the door, but the green unicorn held the orange one back with her hoof. "Core," she whispered. "We need to talk."

She wasn't feeling so good about some of the ponies they had met. "Rarity couldn't stop talking about you while she turned me into a life-sized Barbie doll," she said. "I think she wanted me to set you up with her. And that Rainbow Dash has a way-too-big ego. Core, don't you see that we can't trust them? We should find a way out of here on our own."

Corey sighed and rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding? These guys are awesome! And they have – hello – a library? That we can use to get information? Besides, we can't leave Equestria without our lyric-writing champion – Trina. Have you noticed that she, Nick, and Mina are nowhere to be found?"

Laney's eyes widened. "I hadn't thought about that. I figured we'd just left them behind."

"Well, they were touching us too, so they must have been pulled along," Corey said. "I can't imagine Trina in this place, though. She'd die from too much niceness."

"That brings me to something else, Core," Laney whispered. "The machine. We don't have it, remember? What if we can't get back home? What if we're stuck here…as ponies…forever?"

Corey bit his lip. If anything, he'd figured that Kin would be able to rebuild the machine and they'd be home after a day or two of sightseeing, but he hadn't taken into account the three months it'd taken to build the thing in the first place. Or the fact that the technology in Equestria didn't seem quite as advanced as what they had on Earth.

The group ahead slowed down. They had reached the bakery; the tall pink roof of Sugar Cube Corner loomed above them, and the intoxicating scent of freshly baked cupcakes rushed out of the open door. "Relax, Lanes," the orange unicorn said. "Let's think about something else. Just wait till you try one of these cupcakes. They're even better than my dad's bake-sale brownies."

Rainbow Dash was already talking to Mrs. Cake inside. Twilight and Fluttershy entered the store, and everyone else waited outside. The shop was big, but with so many ponies inside at one time Spike might get lost again in the crowd. Corey peered into the window, pushing Laney's head against the thin glass panes. The counter was aglow with light, and tall stacks of baked goods gleamed temptingly in their cases. Kon pressed up against the window too, and Corey could almost hear him salivating.

Twilight raced back out the door, breathing heavily. "Mrs. Cake says she saw him leave with me and Kin. He's not there."

"What are we gonna do now?" Applejack said, facehoofing.

"I could do a quick flyby over Ponyville," Rainbow Dash suggested. "I'm sure I could spot him. He kind of stands out from all of the ponies."

Twilight nodded, but it was a halfhearted, sad nod.

"Hey, it's okay, Twi. We'll find Spike," Applejack said. "Ya just gotta calm down. You're the one with the logic and brains in this here outfit. What would Forelock Holmes do?"

Twilight sucked in a deep breath. "Okay…let's see. Spike is always with me…but when he's not, he's either at Rarity's or at Sugar Cube Corner. Since he can't be at either of those places, he's either been dragonnapped, or he got lost. And since we've lived in Ponyville at least a whole year, and know the town like the back of our hooves…"

No one finished Twilight's sentence, but they were all thinking the same thing.

Kon opened his mouth to say something – probably something totally off-subject, like "I like cheese" – when a pink blur appeared in Corey's peripheral vision.

"Did you see that, you guys?" he said. "Just over there…"

Everyone turned their heads, and when they least expected it, the pink blur leaped at them from the opposite direction.

"Hi! Welcome to Ponyville! My name is Pinkie Pie!"

* * *

**I bet you all were surprised. What?! An update a whole day early?!**

Don't get your hope up, though...next week's chapter will appear on Sunday, as scheduled.

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! We wanted to get back to you sooner, but if you're a guest you're kind of hard to get a hold of.**

PinkieLover - We did indeed take that into account. If you look at the Author's Note for Chapter One, it says that the MLP portion of this story is set between Seasons Two and Three. So, Twilight isn't an alicorn, and yes, _Magic Duel_ did not happen.

**On the same note, I'm flattered that Lanes is your favorite character. For...reasons :3**

Keep an eye out for our Halloween/Nightmare Night oneshots, which will hopefully come out on Thursday.

**Don't forget to read and review, and see you all next week!**


	7. Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

Trixie sat under her shelter, lifting a rock into the air.

Up, down, up, down – it flew as easily as if the unicorn mare had been performing such magic all her life. And she had.

But never with a twenty-foot boulder.

Even though the ponies from another world were asleep in the back of the cave, even though they were tired and needed to rest, up and down the stone went, knocking branches and twigs out of the trees and sending them crashing to the ground. "Where are those two little idiots?" Trixie wondered out loud. "Trixie told them to hurry. They aren't supposed to keep her waiting."

As if answering Trixie's call, a small pudgy figure appeared from a tangle of bushes. "We got him, your Great and Powerfulness!" he squeaked, his small red tail bobbing as he ran. "Bring him in, Snails!"

Another figure, this one orange and lanky, dragged a purple dragon out of the leaves. "We told him we found a bunch of gems," the unicorn drawled, a dopey smile plastered across his face. "He started running after us, and then he ran into a tree."

Trixie snorted and stamped her hoof, letting the boulder crash back down into the dusty ground. "You foals! When Trixie found you and asked you to help her, Trixie told you to get him here quickly! You took almost half an hour and Trixie was starting to get impatient."

"Sorry, your Trixieship," Snips said, bowing his head low. "You know how honored we are to be your assistants again."

"Do you think you could vanquish an Ursa Major for us now?" Snails asked.

"Be quiet! The otherworlders are trying to sleep," Trixie hissed.

"But you just slammed that boulder –"

"SSSSHHH!" The mare flattened her ears and glared at the two colts. "Now, put the dragon down. Trixie doesn't want him escaping."

Pointing her horn in the little lizard's direction, Trixie lifted him into the air and made a birdcage materialize around him, locking the door and tossing the key into another bush. "Trixie will just have to forgive you for all the mistakes you keep making," she sniffed, setting the cage squarely on Snips' and Snails' shoulders. "You'd better have brought the quill, ink, and paper Trixie asked for, too."

"Oh – yeah, it's right here!" Snips gasped, trying to pull a tiny saddlebag out from under the birdcage. Trixie yanked on it with magic and removed the parchment, feather pen, and pot of ink.

She smoothed out the scroll and placed the tip of the quill in the pot, smiling darkly. Her eyes flicked to the cage, where the purple dragon's stomach moved up and down in time to his steady breaths. "Here's something new for you to remember: Once the dragon wakes up, be sure he's ready to _take a letter_ for Trixie."

* * *

Twilight stood by the door of Sugar Cube Corner, sipping a glass of punch, her eyes rimmed red. Frankly, she couldn't see how a party was going to help things. Spike was missing! Nopony in their right mind would be horsing around when a friend was in danger.

Then again, Pinkie Pie wasn't totally in her right mind.

The party was in full swing, the music blaring so loudly that the windows were shuddering. Kin – who'd been pulled out of the library to join the festivities – and Kon were devouring cupcakes, Laney was talking to Applejack, and Corey was rocking out with Vinyl Scratch, who'd brought her mixing table at a moment's notice. Twilight was the only one who didn't seem to be having any fun.

And Pinkie Pie was, of course, in her element, mingling with ponies and introducing them to Grojband every other minute. Twilight couldn't help but smile as the party pony danced crazily and knocked Pokey Pierce into a wall.

It wasn't as if Pinkie had bothered to ask, anyway. She'd been so caught up in the prospect of four new friends that Twilight hadn't been able to tell her about Spike's disappearance, or even the fact that Grojband was from a miror world. The purple unicorn was tempted to sneak off to the library and search for a locator spell, but she felt like leaving the band members was a bad idea. They were still new to Equestria, after all, and if they let something slip in front of the entire town, they'd be mobbed by curious and possibly accusatory ponies. Better to stand by and keep them quiet than let them spill their secret for all of Ponyville to hear.

Fluttershy squeezed out of the crowd and clopped over to Twilight. "Are you okay?" she said, trying her best to be heard over the thumping beat.

Twilight rubbed her eyes with a foreleg, setting down her punch glass on a nearby table. "Well, no, Fluttershy, not really. I'm just so worried for Spike. Is he lost? Was he dragonnapped? If not, why would he run away?"

"He did try it once," the yellow Pegasus pointed out. "But I don't think he would do it again."

"I just hope he's all right," Twilight said, sitting down on the wooden bakery floor. She sighed. "I'm sure Rarity feels the same way."

"Rarity's in the bathroom, crying. She doesn't feel like partying while Spike's missing." Fluttershy sat down next to her friend. "I don't think this is the time for a party either. But when Pinkie Pie gets out her party cannon…"

"There's really nothing we can do," Twilight said, laughing.

Pinkie Pie bounced up to Twilight and Fluttershy, smears of frosting dotting her mane and coat. "Hi, you guys! Having fun?" she chirped happily.

Twilight took another sip of her punch while Fluttershy answered. "It's…a very nice party."

"Thanks! Corey, Laney, Kin, and Kon seem like such nice ponies! And they have great taste in music. Vinyl just loves them! Have you tasted the cupcakes? I didn't make them, Mr. Cake did, but only because I was watching Pound and Pumpkin –"

"Slow down, Pinkie," Twilight said. "I'm kind of distracted right now."

"Oh, okay. Is something wrong? Anything I can help with?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head to one side.

Twilight felt her eyes tearing up again, but she forced herself to relax. _Spike wouldn't want me to cry about it,_ she thought. _He'd want me to do something. _The unicorn opened her mouth to talk, but a loud crashing noise stopped her. A table had tipped, oozing cake frosting and punch all over the floor. "Hold on a teeny-weeny second there, Twilight," Pinkie said cheerfully. "I've gotta clean that up!"

As Pinkie skipped off to get a mop, Fluttershy looked helplessly at Twilight. "I…I guess if you wanted to go out and try looking for Spike, I could keep an eye on Grojband a-and…"

Twilight smiled gratefully. "Fluttershy, that means so much to me. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"I think so." The Pegasus shifted her wings. "Do whatever you have to. I want the little guy home safe and sound just as much as you do."

"Thanks." Twilight was almost about to cry for a third time; she could feel the tears threatening to spill over as she hugged her shy friend. "I owe you one."

"Good luck, Twilight!" Fluttershy said softly as the purple unicorn trudged out of the bakery, leaving the sugary sweetness and pounding bass of the party behind her.

* * *

Twilight pushed open the door of the Golden Oak Library and flicked a lamp on with a small burst of magic. The room lit up, illuminating the shelves upon shelves of books that spanned the walls. _Any one of these books could hold the answer to saving Spike,_ the mare thought as she scanned the titles, her horn glowing a dark pink. The books shivered, then began to fly, one by one, off the shelves, parading in the air in front of Twilight.

"Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone…won't be any good…Predictions and Prophecies…don't think so…Mane-Care Tips for Pony Stylists…not useful at _all_…"

A teetering tower of books was growing ever taller behind the frantic unicorn, but she kept reading titles. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. _This could be it, this next one, this could give me a spell…_

No names jumped out at her, and the books kept coming, streaming past her in an unending flow of knowledge. Twilight felt like she was going to scream. _It's okay, there are plenty of books left, oh Celestia please let me find what I need…_

The line of books shuddered as another rush of cold air swept through the library. It was smaller than the first – the one that had predicted Grojband's appearance in Equestria – but it was there. Twilight could feel the fur on her neck rising and her sensitive horn begin to tingle ever so slightly. She released her magic, letting the books drop to the floor. Something else must have entered the world from outside.

The unicorn rushed over to the door, grabbed the saddlebags she'd dumped there, and flung the door open. She cantered across the square, nearly bowling over a confused Granny Smith. "Sorry!" Twilight called back. "Gotta run!"

The unicorn's heart rose into her throat. She wasn't sure what this new development could have to do with Spike's disappearance, but the connections between the arrival of Grojband and this new pulse of magic were too great. Maybe, wherever she was going, there would be another clue.

The tingling in her horn wasn't as strong as the first time, but if Twilight concentrated it was easy enough to follow. She passed Sugar Cube Corner, which was quieter than before, but the unicorn was too busy to stop and see what was going on.

Her horn was leading her, once again, past the boundaries of Ponyville and in the general direction of Fluttershy's house. _How odd if it turns out to be the same place,_ Twilight thought. _That would be another connection between the two incidences._

However, instead of turning down the soft dirt road to her friend's cottage, Twilight's horn pointed her straight ahead, toward the dark, mysterious, spooky Everfree Forest.

After multiple visits to Zecora's hut, Twilight had become much less scared of the forest, but with the fading sun behind it, the darkness seemed almost ominous. The path thinned, and Twilight had to slow down or risk falling headfirst into a patch of Poison Joke. She brought herself down into a steady trot, continuing to follow the slightly stronger magical energy thread.

The forest grew darker every moment, and it wasn't long before Twilight had to light her horn. She was in a small clearing, full of exotic-looking plants and trailing vines. There was a small rock overhang on the far side of the clearing that looked to be just about the right size for a pony to sit under. But Twilight wasn't focused on those things.

She was focused on the gaping hole that appeared to be floating in midair at the center of the clearing.

Taking a hesitant step forward, Twilight peered at the hole. Its interior was black, as if someone had painted a dark black dot into the sky. Its edges were tinged with pink, and it flickered softly, twinkling in the cool evening air.

Twilight walked around it, examining it from all angles. Now that she looked at it, it looked more like a disk of black paper somepony had levitated and forgotten to take down. One edge seemed as if it had been stretched the tiniest bit, pulling the disk into an oval rather than a perfect circle.

The unicorn reached out, as if hypnotized, toward the edge of the hole. Her foreleg trembled. She licked her lips nervously, steeling herself, and then she touched it.

It was an otherworldly magic, the likes of which she had never seen before. Twilight gasped as she felt the odd vibrations ripple through her. There was something vaguely familiar about the energy coating the edges, but otherwise, she recognized nothing. "This proves it," she whispered to herself, "This really, really proves it. Grojband really _is_ from another world."

She carefully stood on her back legs, holding onto the edge of the hole with both hooves, like it was a window ledge. She peered into the darkness, but couldn't see anything; all she could hear was a faint, low humming. The hole twisted under her forelegs, spreading a little wider, and sending out a pulse of energy similar to the one she'd just gotten at the library. Twilight jerked back from the hole, gasping as her horn took in the spell and the edge of the hole turned the same dark pink as her magic, then relaxed.

And then tensed up again. The unicorn could hear a faint rustling coming from the bushes behind her, growing louder with ever moment. The humming of the hole still ringing in her ears, Twilight turned around, hoping that Spike would be hiding in the bushes, popping out and saying "Gotcha!" even though she knew that it was an empty hope.

Instead, she found herself muzzle to muzzle with the one pony she hadn't expected to see.

* * *

Hey guys! We hope you had a good weekend and a great Halloween!

**We had a lot of views for my Grojband oneshot, Costume of the Century, so thanks for that.**

However, the MLP oneshot, Mist, didn't get very many views, so take a look if you have the time.

**Back to Magic Song, shoot us a review saying who you think the mysterious pony at the end is! And, of course, anything telling us what we could do better.**

Rain B. Dashea, that would be very interesting! It wasn't what we had planned for this story, but maybe we could work it into a future one.

And PinkieLover, we're glad that you love our story! You'll just have o keep reading to learn more.

Finally, a huge shoutout to ghostfacekiller39, our most faithful reader so far!

**Thanks to all our readers and reviewers. See you next week for Chapter Seven!**


	8. Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Oops…sorry about that," Rainbow Dash shouted over the head-pounding music, wings flapping lightly. "I can be just the _teeniest_ bit clumsy sometimes."

Corey turned away from Vinyl Scratch just in time to see Laney's mane disappear under a tablecloth. The punch table had fallen, and a cake-covered Rainbow Dash was standing next to it, a smile on her face. "I forgot to look where I was going. My bad."

The table shuddered, and a corner of the tablecloth rose up, Laney's head underneath it. "Ow," she said, trying to rub her head with a hoof and failing. She had a scowl on her face, but Rainbow Dash didn't seem to notice.

Corey excused himself and trotted over to Laney. He nosed the table off of her back and, lifting the tablecloth in his teeth, laid it over the wet spot on the floor. "You okay, Lanes?" he asked. "You don't look so good."

The green unicorn huffed, blowing a chunk of her mane out of her eyes. "Geez, I can't stand that pony. I kind of think she's doing it on purpose."

Corey rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding, Lanes? They threw a party for us. They're not that bad." He scraped a hunk of cake off his friend's foreleg and popped it into his mouth. "And they make really good food."

"You sound like Kin and Kon! Food isn't everything, Corey," Laney snapped. "And neither is niceness. Something's wrong here. I just know it."

Corey took a step back. Laney almost never got angry like that. And when she did, it was always for a good reason. However, he didn't feel like the Ponyville ponies were out to get him. They actually were pretty cool. "Chill out and enjoy the party, Lanes, okay? I'm gonna go over and talk to Vinyl some more. Don't get in any more trouble."

"Easy for you to say." Laney whipped around and stormed off in the direction of the kitchen, probably to get cleaned up. Corey sighed. _There's just no pleasing that girl…um, mare_.

As he waded back through the crowd of ponies, Corey spotted Fluttershy sitting near the front door, her eyes hidden under her long mane. He changed directions and sat down next to her, folding his legs underneath his body. "What's up?"

The timid pony jumped. "Oh! I'm sorry, Corey. You startled me."

"That's okay." Corey raised a hoof to adjust his beanie and felt it bang against his protruding horn. "You just looked kind of lonely sitting over here."

"No, not at all! I just don't go to parties very often, unless my close friends are there. Parties can be very loud and, well, I don't really like that sort of thing."

Corey nodded. "Makes sense. You wouldn't."

The Pegasus was silent for a minute, then peered out at Corey from under her mane. "Um…I'm sorry about what Rainbow Dash did to your friend just there. Did she apologize? I know she can forget sometimes and, well, I don't think it would be a good idea if anypony got mad at anypony else."

"It's cool. Lanes wasn't too happy, but she'll get over it." Corey grinned at Fluttershy, and she smiled shyly back.

As Corey turned back to the front, he glanced down at the skull-shaped mark on his leg. It looked exactly like the skull on his beanie, though where the latter had once been, his horn poked out. He nudged Fluttershy with his hoof. "Uh, Flutters? What's this supposed to be?"

Fluttershy looked. "Oh, that's your cutie mark. It tells you what your special talent is. I'm surprised no one's told you yet." She paused, then pointed at the skull. "Um, do you have any idea what that means?"

Corey looked at the skull again and made a note to check out his friend' cutie marks too. "Well…I don't really know. But one of my talents is playing the guitar. And I'm also the leader of my band back home." He tilted his head to get a look at Fluttershy's cutie mark. "I'm guessing your talent has something to do with animals?"

The yellow pony giggled. "Yes, it is! I told you all about what I do with the critters, didn't I? I guess I didn't mention cutie marks then…I probably should have…"

"Hey, no problem. We'll get the hang of this eventually," Corey said, flicking his tail.

Suddenly, a sharp pain rushed through his horn, along with a rush of cold wind. "Ow," he muttered, rubbing at his head. "Didn't know I could feel anything with that."

"Did something happen? Did I do something?" Fluttershy had risen to her feet and was looking at Corey concernedly. "Do you need help?"

The orange unicorn opened one eye and looked around. Some of the other unicorns were shaking their heads repeatedly, but most had just gone back to partying. _They're probably used to that kind of thing happening,_ Corey thought. _Downside of being a noob._ "I'm all right," he gasped. "Do you see Laney anywhere?"

Fluttershy craned her neck to search for the green pony. "No…wait! I think that's her, in the kitchen," the Pegasus said. "Come on."

They weaved through the crowd of ponies, trying not to step on any tails, and slipped through the kitchen door. Laney was alone in the kitchen – not even the Cakes were there – and had slumped to the floor, holding her head as if she was in pain. "Lanes? Are you okay?"

"Ow…my head…" Laney squeezed her eyes shut and let a single tear leak out. "What happened, Core…"

Fluttershy panicked. "Oh! Um, I…I think…I think we should go talk to Twilight! She'll know what to do. Um, let me take you to the library…I just have to tell Pinkie where we're going...You two st-stay here…" She opened and closed her wings nervously and dashed out of the kitchen.

Corey grabbed Laney's forehoof and pulled her up off the floor. "Come on, Lanes. We're gonna be okay…I think."

* * *

There was no one in the library.

Fluttershy had run to tell Pinkie Pie, but only Pinkie had come out of the bakery. The party was a little more subdued without the pink pony, and Corey could have sworn that the noise level went down a couple of notches. A few minutes later, Fluttershy brought the rest of Twilight's friends out, along with Laney, Kin, and Kon, and the group had run all the way back to the Golden Oak. But when Applejack had knocked on the door, no one had answered.

"I told her it was okay if she left to look for a spell to help Spike," Fluttershy squeaked in apology, her eyes cast down at the wooden floor. "I didn't know she'd just disappear like that."

"Do you think it had something to do with the magical flare?" Rarity asked, her forehead furrowed in concern and tear tracks matting the fur on her cheks. "I felt another tingle in my horn at the party, but I thought it might just be Vinyl moving the records."

"You're lucky you only felt a tingle," Corey muttered. His horn was still throbbing a bit, as if the cold air was barely being kept off of him by a thin jacket. "Lanes and I were practically knocked out on the floor."

"Probably comes with bein' new to Equestria and stuff like that," the farmpony said, shuffling through the pile of books that littered the floor. "That's why newborn foals have weird freaky power surges, ain't it?"

"I believe so." Rarity sniffed, smiling faintly. "I think I could follow Twilight's magical trail to wherever it is she went, if I can get a sample of it. Such a spell can't be much harder than my signature gem-finding enchantments." She picked up a well-worn book and held it near her horn, eyes closed in concentration.

Rainbow Dash flapped up into the air. "So let me get this straight." She pointed a foreleg at Corey. "This morning, Grojband shows up in Fluttershy's backyard. Then Spike disappears, and Twilight gets all messed up. Now Twilight's missing. Does anypony else get the feeling that it might be their fault?"

"Um…well…now that you mention it…but..." Fluttershy whispered.

Laney growled a little bit from her seat in the corner of the room.

Pinkie smiled brightly and leaped higher than ever. "I don't think they did it! Corey and Laney and Kin and Kon are the nicest ponies ever! It doesn't matter that they came from a world with no magic and stood on two legs instead of four and wore clothes all the time and stole Corey's sister's diary to get lyrics for their band's songs!"

Corey stared. "How did you know all that?"

"Know all what?"

The orange unicorn shook his head. "Never mind."

Rarity chose this moment to open her eyes. "I've got it! It'll be tricky, but I should be able to pick up Twilight's aura."

Applejack sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. We'd better get going until she gets too far away."

Fluttershy gulped. "Can I…stay here?"

Kon patted Fluttershy on the back. "She can't have gone anywhere that bad. It's not like she woke up a bunch of zombies with a magic amp!"

Laney, Corey, and Kin snickered. Pinkie Pie grinned at Kon. "I like you!"

"Come on, Fluttershy. We don't have much time." Applejack opened the library door, then galloped out. Rainbow Dash followed her, shooting a suspicious glance at Laney and Corey as she left.

As everyone else departed, Corey pulled Fluttershy to her feet. "You want to help Twilight, don't you, Flutters?" he grunted. "We can't do this without you."

The pale yellow Pegasus trembled. "I-I think you could do it w-without…"

Laney's head appeared around the door. "We're waiting on you!"

"Flutters, Twilight's in danger. We seriously have to go."

"I…I…okay…"

And with that, the shy pony took a deep breath, flapped her wings softly, and disappeared through the door.

Corey immediately felt the difference when he started to run. His new body was more streamlined and powerful, and even sprinting was hardly an effort. Kin was right – running a human marathon would be no sweat as a pony.

Rarity was at the front of the pack, with Applejack close behind. The white unicorn's mane flowed back glamorously in the wind and her horn glowed with an intense blue light.

"We gettin' any closer, Rarity?" Corey heard Applejack yell.

"Not…yet," Rarity replied, concentrating on her magic.

The group ran through the streets, which were beginning to fill with ponies again as the party drew to a close. As they passed, Pinkie Pie and Kon shouted greetings to everyone, bouncing as they did.

"Hi, Vinyl! Your music at the party was great!"

"Ooh, your flowers are really pretty!"

"Keeping an eye on those crazy fillies, Big Mac?"

Corey was so focused on the feeling of the wind in his mane that he didn't notice the ground shift from cobblestone to dirt. Before he knew it, the nine ponies were standing outside of a thick line of trees. Fluttershy's house was a short distance away, but Ponyville was nowhere to be seen.

Rarity didn't stop running. Her horn was still leading her forward, into the forest's thick undergrowth. "Well? Don't just stand there!" she screeched, kicking crumbs of dusty dirt into the air. "Help me!"

Rainbow Dash was the first to act. She grabbed the unicorn's tail with her teeth, pulling backward as hard as she could. Even with her strength, Rarity's horn continued to yank the duo into the trees.

Applejack leaped forward, but too late – Rarity and Rainbow had disappeared into the forest.

"C'mon! After them!" The Earth pony reared, then charged after her friends. The others followed, and Corey pushed Fluttershy, who had fallen face-first into the dirt and was attempting to take root.

The forest definitely had a creepy-and-weird vibe. There was a thin mist distorting the edges of the path, and even though it was early evening, it seemed as dark as midnight. Corey felt a soft body brush his left side – Laney, her eyes shining in the blackness. He dropped Fluttershy's tail and stood upright. "Um…"

Laney took a step away. "Oh, sorry, Core. I wasn't thinking."

Another furry mass bumped into Corey's other side. "What's going on?"

Thump. "What are we talking about?"

Kin and Kon had slammed into Corey too, not wanting to be left out of the fun.

WHAM.

"I love dog piles!" Pinkie Pie giggled.

Corey squirmed his way out from underneath his hyperactive friends, then dusted himself off. "Uh, it's no biggie, Lanes. I wasn't really thinking either."

"Hush up!" Applejack hissed, a leaf-covered branch between her teeth. "There's Rainbow and Rarity!"

The two were still being dragged across the forest floor, albeit much more slowly. Their coats were stained with clouds of dirt, and Rainbow had her hoof plastered over Rarity's mouth, probably to keep her from screaming out loud. Suddenly, they slid to a stop between a clump of bushes.

Applejack cautiously stepped toward the bush, poking her head inside. Faint whispering noises came from the inside of the bush, and then the farmpony popped her head back out. "She managed to stop the flow of magic, and just in time, too. Cone 'n look at who's out there."

The ponies crowded into the bush, making as little noise as possible. When Corey peeked through the leaves, he saw the most majestic pony he'd seen today. She was tall, with white fur and a flowing, multi-colored mane. A golden crown was perched on top of her head; she had a horn, but she also had wings. Twilight Sparkle stood before her, hooves planted firmly into the ground, a black vortex swirling behind her.

"It's Princess Celestia," Applejack whispered.

"She looks grumpy!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Oh…m-my…" Fluttershy gulped.

* * *

There's another mind-blower for all of you! No one guessed right, which surprised me, but I did enjoy the guesses. Bic Mac was probably the best one, though he does get mentioned in this chapter, so there you are.

**We had a lot of readers on our oneshots, namely Costume of the Century, so thanks for that! I really hope you liked them.**

Sorry about the unnaturally late posting of this chapter. I was a little busy with homework and leaf-raking until now. Ah, fall. :3

**What will Princess Celestia have to say about the hole in the world? What's going to happen to Grojband? Read, review, and return next Sunday to find out. Peace!**


	9. Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Twilight Sparkle."

The unicorn's eyes widened in surprise as she came face to face with her beloved teacher. "Princess…is everything all right? How did you find me?"

"I did not come here to find you." The alicorn took a step in Twilight's direction. "I was tracing an influx of magic back to its source. This is the source."

"Oh…wait! You're saying you felt that…all the way in Canterlot?"

"Indeed." Celestia pursed her lips. "Twilight…just finding you here is bad in the first place, but when you are already under suspicion…"

Twilight blinked. "Under sus – Princess Celestia, are you suggesting that I made this…_hole_ in the world…happen?"

"I got a letter from Spike not an hour ago," the Princess said, conjuring a scroll out of thin air and unrolling it. "Read it."

Twilight took the letter with her magic and began to scan the scribbled paragraph.

_ Princess Celestia,_

_ I found Twilight the other night looking up Starswirl the Bearded's mirror laws. She didn't say why – just that she suddenly was interested in them. Then, this afternoon, she went to Fluttershy's house. When I got to see her again, she had four ponies with her. I didn't know them, and they seemed really strange. Then, at Pinkie Pie's party for the new ponies this afternoon, she ran off. I don't know where she went, but Rarity said she felt a funny tingling in her horn. I think something's up with Twilight. I really need your help._

_ Signed,_

_ Spike. _

Twilight couldn't breathe. Had Spike really been so suspicious to her involvement in the appearance of Grojband that he'd ask the ruler of Equestria for help? She felt her breaths starting to come faster and faster, tears starting to build up in her eyes. Was that the real reason that Spike had disappeared?

"Is your assistant right, Twilight? Did you do these things?"

The unicorn hesitated. "The letter is very accurate, but –

"Then you see why I have reasons to suspect you, my student. Reasons that even I can't overlook at this point in time." The alicorn's voice hardened, but her eyes remained soft. "I must ask you to come with me."

"Princess Celestia, you have to understand, I –"

"I don't like this any more than you do, Twilight, but there will be time for questions and answers later. For now, you will be taken to Canterlot and placed in a high-security room in the palace for interrogation."

Twilight stamped her hoof on the ground. "How have I done anything that compromises the peace of –"

"Twilight, I will not tolerate any more of this!" A pair of bushes rustled at the edge of the clearing as Celestia took a deep breath and composed herself. "There is no other way to know the truth about this matter, and if you have learned…secrets…you are not yet meant to learn, then I will do everything in my power to help you understand them. But if you do not come to Canterlot with me for interrogation –"

"Hold it right there!"

A blast of rainbow-colored energy blazed into the clearing and planted itself in front of the small purple unicorn. "She's not going anywhere, Princess!"

"Rainbow Dash, I understand your feelings of loyalty, but –"

"Twilight's not going anywhere where she'll be locked up! I may be loyal to you and to Equestria, but I'm also loyal to my friends. And if the ruler of my land plans to put my friends in prison, then I'm gonna stand against her, whatever it takes!"

Applejack galloped out of a bush and stood with Rainbow. "Sorry about this, Princess, but Rainbow's right. We aren't gonna let anypony put Twilight in jail. There have been too many times when we all lost faith in her, only to be proven wrong when she saved us at the last minute. It's time we trusted her a little more."

"That's as may be, but if she has nothing to hide, better to prove it where she cannot be disbelieved."

The bushes twitched, but stopped before anypony could notice.

"Thanks, girls," Twilight choked out, her head a mix of good and bad feelings, between Spike's and the Princess's betrayal of trust and her friends' belief in her. She wished she'd remembered to write to the princess earlier, when everything could have been explained easily, but now it was too late. No matter what she said, with this much evidence there was only one logical route Celestia could take – taking custody of the prime suspect. Who just happened to be Twilight.

"If I must, I will take all of you in for questioning. I don't want it to come to that, but if my suspicions are correct…" The Princess closed her eyes, lost in a silent reverie. "At the very least, Equestria is in mortal danger."

Twilight took a deep breath, prepared to submit to the Princess's interrogation. It was the simplest solution, and she really had nothing to hide, since she was planning to reveal the existence of Grojband anyway. But as she opened her mouth, Rainbow Dash flew up into Celestia's face.

"Over our dead bodies."

That one little phrase thickened the tension in the clearing until Twilight was sure it had frozen everypony to the ground. Applejack's eyes flickered from alicorn to unicorn to Pegasus; Rainbow Dash's wings seemed to flap in slow motion. Twilight's heart slammed out an ominous rhythm in her chest, her tongue glued to the roof of her mouth, somehow unable to take back Rainbow Dash's claim. _Oh, Rainbow Dash, you've done it now…_

Celestia blinked at the unicorn, her expression unreadable. "Very well; I will offer a proposal. Twilight, you have one week to apprehend the true culprit of this incident and prove your own innocence. If you cannot…" The Princess turned away. "You will be brought to Canterlot and made to tell us anything you know about this incident. And I assure you, if it was your doing, you will be banished from Equestria, like those before you who have threatened our gentle peace."

Twilight opened her mouth again, but Rainbow Dash had already answered. "Challenge accepted, Princess. Twilight will make it happen, even if she has to leave Equestria to do it!"

"I hope so, Rainbow Dash. If she cannot, the Elements of Harmony will be compromised, and Equestria will be without its greatest protection." Celestia turned, glancing at Twilight over her shoulder. "Remember that harboring fugitives is, on its own, a punishable offense. Choose wisely, my most faithful student." Then, bending her knees and unfurling her wings, the Princess leapt into the air and soared into the budding evening sky.

Twilight stared at her friend for a moment longer as the Princess's form vanished into a patch of clouds. "R-Rainbow…"

"Aren't you gonna thank me? I saved you from a quick one there. Can you imagine? _Prison?_ If I were you I'd climb the walls! Thank goodness I was there to get you out of tr–"

"RAINBOW DASH!"

Rainbow stopped mid-sentence. Twilight's eyes had narrowed, steaming with anger, and magic glowed at the end of her horn. "I was going to submit to the Princess. I didn't have anything to hide. I was just going to tell her about Grojband in the first place. I would have been declared innocent."

"But Twi…"

"And then you had to go and ruin everything! Now I'm in bigger trouble than I was before, and you're all involved! You've just managed to make the problem worse!"

Applejack stepped forward. "Twilight, sugar, listen –"

"I know you thought you were doing the right thing, but –"

"Twilight!"

"It really didn't help the situation at all –"

"Twilight _Sparkle_!"

Applejack's hoof slammed straight into Twilight's mouth. She took a deep breath. "Ah'm sorry about Rainbow's impulsiveness. But you know that's just how she is! She wasn't tryin' to do anythin' but keep you safe. We all were."

Rarity emerged from a bush, towing Pinkie, Fluttershy and Grojband with her. She put on a brave face, but Twilight could see that she was still shaken about Spike's disappearance. "What was so wrong about Rainbow's actions? She simply stood up to the princess to keep you from incarceration!"

Twilight dislodged Applejacks' hoof from between her lips. "_Actually_, the Princess was going to ask me about some mysterious circumstances regarding this hole in the fabric of Equestria." The unicorn gestured at the black orb hanging in the air. "I didn't have anything to do with it, so it would have been no pressure to let her question me."

"Actually, Twilight, did you hear what she said there at the end? About harboring fugitives being against the law?" Rainbow Dash pointed a foreleg at the confused members of Grojband. "Technically, _they're _fugitives. You actually could end up in jail if we're found with them."

Twilight opened her mouth, but realized that she couldn't come up with a retort for that. Rainbow was right; the Princess had said that, and Twilight and her friends could be in serious trouble if they were caught hiding four ponies from a mirror world.

"So, are you saying that we're…illegal _aliens_?" Kin asked, grinning mischievously. When Twilight nodded, he slapped Laney a high-hoof. "Oh yeah!"

"Look, we're really sorry, Twi," Applejack said, patting the unicorn's shoulder, "But Ah really think we should get to Fluttershy's and talk this all over. Together. We're goin' ta back you all the way, y'hear?"

Twilight looked up at her friend through teary eyes. "Thanks, girls, for calling me out on my mistake and everything. I really would have screwed up there, huh." She sniffed and, knees trembling, stood. She turned to Grojband. "Endangering Equestria is one of the worst things a pony can do, and if the princess thinks you're really that dangerous, I think it's safer if we keep you out of her hooves and get you home."

* * *

Fluttershy set out a steaming kettle and two sets of chipped ceramic cups. "Anypony want some tea?" she asked, carrying the tray into the living room.

Twilight poured out a stream of piping hot tea into one of the cups. "Thanks, Fluttershy," she said gratefully, blowing on it to cool it off. "And thanks for letting Grojband and me stay in your house tonight."

"Really, it's no trouble." The yellow Pegasus took her own cup of tea and sat next to the violet unicorn. "It's more secluded than the library or Sweet Apple Acres, and it's closer to the…um, hole. In the forest."

"Speaking of which –" Laney paced back and forth along the edge of the carpet. "What are we gonna do about that? How will we get home before the week is up? And if we can't, how will we figure out who actually brought us here?"

"I was going to ask that," Corey asked, raising his hoof.

"On the same note…" Rainbow Dash stood up and looked Laney straight in the eye. "Now that I'm thinking about it, what is Princess Celestia is right? What if they are dangerous – spies that are here to scope out the territory before they take over Equestria?"

Applejack stood. "Rainbow…"

"Excuse me, but that's a complete and total lie. We didn't ask to come here, we just showed up," Laney snapped.

"But you could be lying. We don't know you well enough to know if you're telling the truth or not," Rainbow retorted, her wings lifting slightly in anger.

"Oh, is that so?" Laney pushed her forehead against Rainbow's, eyes blazing.

"Girls!"

The two separated, guilty looks on their faces, as they turned to Rarity. The white unicorn nursed a teacup while sitting on the sofa, her white-furred cheeks still stained from crying. "Now is not the time to be arguing. We have to work together if we want to keep everyone safe."

Twilight stood, setting down her tea. "She's right. Rainbow, I don't think Grojband is going to hurt Equestria, but something else from their world might. We have to send them home and close the hole so that nothing else dangerous can get through."

Rainbow and Laney glared at each other, but exchanged a curt nod. As they did, Rarity screwed up her eyes and burst into tears. "Oh, Twilight…I just can't stop thinking about poor Spikey-Wikey! I do hope he's all right…"

Pinkie Pie looked up from the floor, where she sat across from Kon, playing continuous games of tic-tac-toe. "Don't worry too much, Rarity! Spike always comes back. We'll find him really soon!"

The unicorn sniffled, sending a grateful glance at the pink Earth pony.

Applejack set her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Ah think the first thing to do is to talk to someone who might know somethin' about weird magic. Someone who might have some information we could use."

"I couldn't find anything that useful in the books at the library," Kin said, adjusting his glasses. "And I looked through all of the books about mirror world theories and unusual magic."

"Who do we know who could help us?" Fluttershy asked as she stirred a spoonful of sugar into her tea. Twilight thought for a moment, considering all the possibilities. Princess Celestia was out, and probably Luna by default. There wouldn't be time to contact Cadance before the week was up. That left only one pony who could possibly be of assistance.

"Get some sleep, everypony," Twilight said, trotting toward Corey and Laney, who sat next to Rarity on the couch. "Tomorrow, we're going to Zecora's."


End file.
